"Despite the fact the young person had missed several years of education, (the teacher) was able to work with him to prepare him to sit his GCSEs at the end of his Year 11 education. This was an amazing achievement as it was felt by other professionals that the young person would not be ready for GCSEs due to the amount of education that was missed."

Senior Practitioner, Rochford Leaving Care and After Care Team

Entitlement to education is vital for young people. For many, our on-site Department of Education registered schools represent the best opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes that lead to fulfilling lives and successful employment.

By choosing northerncare you are giving children and young people access to an education programme designed to empower them to become confident and positive about their abilities and their place in society.

We offer the following benefits for children and young people and Local Authorities:

A High Staff-Pupil Ratio

Our class sizes are small, ranging from 6 to 10 pupils who are well supported by experienced teaching staff, teaching assistants and non-teaching support staff. This small group environment and high staff to pupil ratio is very successful with pupils who have shown themselves unable to fulfil their potential in larger class sizes of mainstream or larger special schools.

A Curriculum That Matches Children’s Individual Needs

The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant. It is also set at a level appropriate to the young person’s needs, age and intellectual development. As far as possible, our curriculum is within the framework of the National Curriculum, with appropriate modifications.

An Enriched Curriculum

Young people are offered many and varied opportunities to enhance their skills and widen their experiences through a range of social and recreational activities that build confidence and self-esteem.

Non classroom based pursuits include:

• The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• St John’s Ambulance First Aid awards
• Professional Association of Diving Instructors certificates
• A full programme of outdoor pursuits

Accreditation

The majority of northerncare schools are registered with the QCA as exam centres and deliver a wide range of qualifications and certification from various awarding bodies including:

• GCSE (outside agency)
• ASDAN
• AQA Entry Level Awards
• Edexcel Literacy and Numeracy
• ALAN

Strong Links with Local Schools

We believe that young people should be educated with their peers, wherever possible. As part of our Inclusion Policy, and in order that children and young people have the option of a mainstream placement, we always strive to develop strong links with local schools.

Ongoing Staff Training and Development

In order to maintain high standards and follow best practice, we aim to ensure all our teaching staff have the opportunity to attend various training courses. These include:

• In-house Every Child Matters training about introducing the Five Outcomes into lessons
• Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) training course
• Keeping abreast of developments in assessment for learning in order to raise pupils’ achievement in the classroom

Referrals

Children and young people who attend northerncare schools usually live in a northerncare home. This means referrals are usually made through social services. We are, however, happy to accept direct educational referrals, where an associated residential placement is deemed appropriate.

To learn more about education at northerncare contact us today on freephone 0800 040 7870 or by email at enquiries@northern-care.co.uk